Hair straightening machine



B. A. DODD HAIR STRAIGHTENING MACHINE Feb. 5, 1952 2 SX-lEETSSi-EET 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1950 INVENTOR, Bertha Alla dd ATTORNEY.

Feb. 5, 1952 B. A. DODD 2,584,434

HAIR STRAIGHTENING MACHINE Filed Jan. 4, 1950 2 SHEETS-Si-IEET 2 INVENTOR Erariha Alludli,

ATTORNEY ing partly in section.

Patented Feb. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE 7 Application January 4, 1950, Serial No. 136,827

, 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for the v removal of kinks and curls in human hair and is designed as an improvement upon the machine covered by my Patent No. 2,403,350, dated July 2, 1946.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine of the type shown in said patent which embodies novel means for clamping and tensioning the hair preparatory to its treatment as well as for adjusting and holding the tensioning device in different positions to suit the length of the lock or strand of hair whic is to be treated. v

Another object of the invention is to provide 4 an improved construction of machine which allows the hair to be treated with ease and facility. a

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine with the heater applied thereto, the upper heating member of the heater being partly broken away to show underlying parts.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same partly in longitudinal section.

Fig. 3 is a View of the frame of the machine looking toward the right hand sidethereof.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the frame looking toward the left hand side thereof.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a front end elevation of the machine showing the clamping device, the latter appear- Fig. 7 is a section through the front end bar of the frame looking toward one end of the clamping device.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional side elevation showing the tensioning device and one of the locking dogs engaged with the ratchet wheel thereof.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of portions of the right hand frame bar and the locking bar con nected therewith.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 10 and showing some of the dogs mounted on the locking bar.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the frame of the machine which may be made of angle sheet metal, such as sheet aluminum, and comprises parallel side bars 2 and 3, connected at their forward ends by a cross bar 4, the body portions of which bars are arranged edgewise in a vertical plane, and a rear cross bar 5 arranged edgewise in a horizontal plane and connecting the side bars at a suitable point in their height. The bar 2 is provided with a longitudinal guideway and holding slot 6 the bottom wall of which is formed at regular inter and forward stop shoulders 8, while the bar 3 is provided with a longitudinal slot 9, which may be a plain slot, as shown, ormay be provided with seats and shoulders similar to the bar 2.

Mounted upon the forward cross bar 4 is a hair clamping device 19 consisting of a block ll of insulating material, such as Bakelite, having inserted therein a bracket embodying outer and inner metallic plates I2 and IS, the inner plate being spaced from the inner face of the block to provide a receiving slot 14, which plates are connected at one end by a bridge portion 15 formed with a pivot bracket or knuckle IS. The block is fitted down upon the cross bar 4 which is received in the slot 14, and bolts, screws or rivets, I 6', according to whether the clamping device is to be made a permanent or removable fixture, pass through the block and plates to secure the block to the barv 4. Pivoted at one end to the bracket 16 is a clamping member comprising a bar I! enclosed for a portion of its length by a clamping head H! of rubber or other suitable material designed to firmly clamp the strand or look of hair to be treated adjacent to the head of the patient against the upper surface of the block. At its free end the bar I! has pivoted thereto a locking link l9 adapted to be swung down and into a locking slot 20 in the adjacent end of the block and held in looking position by a cam lever 2i adapted to be swung into'engagement with the lower surface of the bar and to seat in a recess 22 therein, as shown in full lines in Fig. 6, whereby the clamping device is held in clamping position and may be released by upward movement to the dotted line position shown in said figure.

The lock or strand "of hair clamped by the clamping device is extended in a treatment oper- .ation to a greater or less distance rearwardly from said device, according to its length, and is Wound at its free end upon a tension device adjustably mountable on the frame, whereby'the hair, in a suitably taut condition, is disposed longitudinally of the frame for treatment. This tensioning device comprises a rotatable rod or spindle 23.0f a length somewhat greater than the width of the frame and adapted to be extended thereacross through the slot 9 and through the slot 6 and for sliding adjustment in said slots and to be engaged with one of the seat recesses 1 in rear of its shoulder 8. This end of the spindle, when the tensioning device is so applied, will thus be fitted for rotation in a recess I in the side bar 2, while the-opposite end thereof will be mounted to rotate in the slot 9 0i the bar 3. At its latter-named end the spindle is provided with a ratchet wheel 24 and a handle 25 whereby the spindle maybe rotated to vwind the hair thereon. Carried by the spindle is a pivoted clamping member 26 to clamp the hair thereto. When the tensioning device is operated to tension the hair it will be held from' upward or forward displacesuitable insulation 34.

ment by engagement with the seat I, shoulder 8 and slot 9, and during treatment of the hair will be further held in its position of adjustment by the pressure of a holding dog or pawl and the jaws of a'heater employed in the treatment, as hereinafter described.

For the purpose of holding the tensioning device against retrograde rotation, I provide means for engagement with the ratchet wheel 24 to lock it against rotation in any of its working positions in the length of the frame. This locking means comprises a bar or plate 21 secured to the side bar 3 and having spaced flanges or bracket portions 28 projecting laterally beyond said side bar and each carrying a spring metal dog or pawl 29, arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel to permit the wheel to be turned in a winding direction and to hold it from reverse movement. The dogs or pawls are equal in number to the seat recesses 1 so that one will be provided to engage 'the ratchet wheel when the tensioning device is engaged with any of the seat recesses. Provision is thusmade for setting or adjusting the tensioning device at greater or less distances from the clamping device to suit the length of the lock of hair to be treated and locking the tensioning device to hold the hair tensioned. This construction, furthermore permits of the use of a onepiece spindle and the mounting of the spindle at its ends for rotation on the frame side bars to tension the hair, while it is held from displacement and retrograde rotation, without the necessity of using a spindle formed of sections coupled by a clutch connection, as the acting dog will hold the. spindle seated and from retrograde rotation, so that no slippage or loosening of the tensioned hair can occur after it has been tensioned to the desired extent, asis liable to occur in the use of spindles formed of sections coupled by a clutch device, one of which sections is nonj rotatably mounted in one of the frame bars.

After the hair is placed under the desired tension pads 30 saturated with a desired solution are placed over and under the hair and a heater employed to heat the hair to straighten it out or remove all kinks or curls. This heater comprises two laws or cover members 3| and 32 formed in .whole or part of metal or other suitable material,

or of a suitable composite structure, and each providedon its inner side with a heating pad including an electric heating coil 33 surrounded by The cover members of the heater may be nearly equal in length to the frame I and said cover members are pivotally r'ionnected at one end by a transverse pivot pin .35 for opening and closing movements and are provided with operating handles 36 and adapted to be normally held in'a closed position by a coiled spring 31 encompassing, the pin 35 and having its ends arranged to bear upon the handies outwardly beyond the pivot point. The heating coils 33 may be connected in'seriesor otherwise suitably connected with each other and with conductors 38 for connecting the same with a source of current supply.

In practice, after the hair is clamped to the frame and tensioned and the pads 30 placed in positionthe jawsof the heater; are opened and the heater inserted over the bar upon the frame v so that the jaws 3| and 32 are disposed on opposite sides of the hair, whereupon the jaws are allowed to move to closed position to bring the -he'atingpads in contact with the solution pads and to force the same in contact with the hair.

By this means all the parts are held in proper position against relative displacement. The elec- 4 tric current is then turned on to secure the desired heating action for a proper time period, after which the machine is removed from the hair and the latter washed to remove the solution.

Provision may be made for manually turning the electric current on and off, and automatically turning the current off after any time period if desired.

Having thus described my invention,.I claim:

1. A hair treating machine comprising a frame, a hair clamping device at one end of the frame, a tensioning device rotatably mounted on-the frame, .said frame including side bars having longitudinal slots to receive the ends of the tensioning device, at least one of the slots having seat recesses for supporting the tensioning device in a plurality of positions spaced at different distances from the clamping device, interlocking elements at spaced intervals on the frame engageable with the tensioning device for holding said device from displacement and from rotation in any of such positions, and a heater applied to the frame to heat a strand of hair held between the clamping and tensioning devices.

2. A hair treating machine comprising a frame, a hair clamping device at one end of the frame, a tensioning device adjustably mounted on the frame and including a spindle having an operating handle and ratchet wheel, said frame including side bars having longitudinal slots, at least one of the slots having seat recesses for supporting the tensioning device in a plurality of positions spaced at different distances fromv the clamping device, locking dogs on one of the frame bars engageable with the ratchet wheel on the tensioning device for holding said device from displacement and fromv rotation in any of such positions, and a heater applied to the frame to heat a strand of hair held between the clamping and tensioning devices.

3. A hair treating machine comprising aframe having side bars and an end bar, a hair clamping 'material having a slot at one end thereof, a

bracket carried by the bar and fastening the same to the end bar of the frame, a clamping member pivoted at one endto the bracket, a locking link pivoted to the free end of the locking member and engageable with the slot in the bar of insulating material, and a clamping member carried by the link to lock the same to the insulating bar, a tensioning device rotatably mounted on the frame, said frame having means for supporting the tensioning device in a plurality of positions spaced at diiferent distances from the clamping device, interlocking elements on the frame and tensioning device for holding said device from displacement and from rotation in any of such positions, and a heater applied to the frame to heat a strand of hair held between the clamping and tensioning devices.

BERTHA A. DODD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,903,743 Decker Apr. 11, 1933 1,993,680 Neyman Mar. 5, 1935 2,126,253 Goldberg Aug. 9, 1938 2,403,350 Dodd July 2, 1946 

